Circuit-controller



l. LYNN.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

APPUCATIOK mm DEC-31. I937.

1,361,977. Patanted Dec. 7, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

mnvsss; INVENTOR J. LYNN.

CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED nzcm, 1911.

Patented Dec. 7,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- i Z JNVENTOR. flu- //d A TTORNEYJ,

UNITED STATES JOHN LYNN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CIRCUIT-CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. '7, 1920.

Application filed December 31, 1917. Serial No. 209,632.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JoHN LYNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circuit-Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates; to a mechanism for controlling an electric circuit by means of a hygrometer and has been designed by me more particularly for use in connection with a humidifier in which a motor is employed to rotate an atomizer and to drive a fan for creating a current of air through the humidifier, the latter being employed to maintain a degree of atmospheric humidity within certain limits. Although the present mechanism has been designed for the purpose above stated, it may be used for any purpose where it is desirable to control an electric circuit by a hygrometer.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a front view, partly broken away; Fig. 2 a side view of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 a partial front view of a modified form. Similar reference numerals indicate similar parts in the several views.

Supported upon a suitable casing 1 is a terminal having contacts 2, said contacts. being included in circuit 3 which circuit also includes a motor (not shown) to be operated for the purpose above stated and such, for example, as illustrated in my ap plication Serial No. 103,649. When an electric driven motor is employed for operating an atomizer for distributing a spray of Water, it is essential that the motor be so controlled that it will be started when the degree of humidity falls to a predetermined minimum, and will be stopped when it reaches a predetermined maximum. For that purpose I have provided a switch, which, in the form shown, consists of a pan 4 pivoted upon pins 5 supported in frame 6. This pan is. adapted to hold a movable weight, such as a mass of mercury 7, so that when moved to the position shown in Fig. 1 the bridge piece 8 carried by the pan, but insulated therefrom, will close the circuit through contacts 2 thereby setting the motor in operation and causing a spray of water to be delivered by the atomizer until the maximum degree of humidity is reached. The switch is then moved to effect the opening of the circuit, and to hold it open, until the degree of humidity falls to the desired minimum when it is again closed to set the motor in operation. The closing and opening of the switch are effected by a hygrometer as follows.

Projecting from the base piece 9, supported within the casing, is a pin 10 which passes through a slot in a hygrometric member, such as a piece of bass wood 11. The movements of the bass wood, by reason of changes in the degree of humidity of the atmosphere, is transmitted in any desired manner to the switch 4 to cause it to" rock in one direction or the other. As one means for accomplishing this object the bass wood has secured to it two racks 12 which mesh with toothed wheels 13 carried by links 14.. The upper ends of these links are slotted to receive pins 15 carried by the lower members 16 of a pair of levers of a lazy tongs system. The levers 16 are pivoted on a pin 17 and are supported by rollers 18 on the pins 15, said rollers traveling on a track'way 19 supported upon brackets. secured to the base piece 9. The upper pair of levers 20 are pivoted at their upper ends on a pin 21. Said pin and the pin 17 carry rollers 21 and 17 respectively which are adapted to travel in a trackway 22 supported upon the base 9. Carried on the pin 21 and secured to the outer one of the levers 20, is an extension or arm 23 having attached thereto a pointer 24 adapted to move over a scale 25, the latter being divided according to any desired standard to indicate degrees of relative humidity.

The parts just described constitute a hygrometer. The expansion of the bass wood 11 spreads the legs 16 thereby moving the pointer 24 downward to indicate an increase of atmospheric moisture. The contraction of the bass wood moves the pointer in a reverse direction to indicate a decrease of atmospheric moisture. The scale 25 is used not only to indicate the relative degree of humidity in the atmosphere but as a means to indicate the limits between which it is desired to maintain the humidity. As shown, I employ two movable and connected pointers 26 set 10 degrees apart. These pointers may be set by means of a screw 27 working in a slot 28.

The extension of the lazy tongs levers is provided with a groove or seat adapted to receive a rod 29 carrying a hinged shoulder? 29, and also carrying a pin on which is piv-v oted a clamp 30, the latter being secured by a set screw 31 to a rod 32. The latter is formed with a longitudinal slot 33 having a widened portion 33 through which passes a pin 31 projecting from a pan 35, said pan being pivoted on the pins 36 supported in the frame 6 and containing a movable weight heavier than that in pan' l, as for example a mass of mercury 35. Also carried by said frame are two stops 37 and 38, the former limiting one movement of the pan 35, and the latter one of the movements of the pan 35 and both movements of the pan A.

Assuming that it is desired to maintain the relative humidity of the atmosphere of a room between 40 and 50 degrees, the operation of the mechanism is as follows: The pointers 26 are moved so that one is opposite the 10 degree mark and the other opposite the 50 degree mark on the scale 25. By means of the set screw 23 the rod 29 which is marked with a scale similar to the scale 25, is adjusted in its seat in the extension 23 so that the 40 degree mark is opposite the upper edge of the extension 23. Although rod 32 is adjustable in clamp 30 it need not be moved, unless for a special setting as later described, as the widened section 33' gives the pin 32 a relatively long range of movement. This adjustment will give the required range of movements to the rods 29 and 32 to effect the opening or closing of the switch at substantially the limits of humidity desired. In the positions of the parts shown, the bass wood 11 has contracted to such extent that the pointer 2% is substantially on the 10 degree mark of scale 25,that being the minimum degree of humidity desired, and making it necessary to start the motor to operate the humidifier. The parts are, therefore, shown in the position just after the pan & has been tilted by the shoulder 29 on red 29 to cause the bridge piece 8 to engage the contacts 2 to close the motor circuit. As the degree of atmospheric moisture increases, the bass wood will expand, and the upper ends of the levers 16 will be spread, as indicated by the arrows, thus drawing down the rods 29 and 32 and causing the upper wall of slot 33 in the latter to bear against pin 3%. As the downward movement of rod 32 continues, pan 35 will gradually assume a horizontal position and when the mass of mercury 35 runs to the left hand end of the pan, the latter will be given a sudden movement causing it to strike the elevated left hand end of pan 4. The heavier wei ht in pan 35 now overbalances the weight in pan 4:, thus raising the bridge piece 8 out of engagement with contacts 2 and breaking the circuit. In such movement the pm 3 1 will be moved to the lower end end of pan 4 will be When the humidity of slot 33, and at the completion of the movement the right hand end of pan 35 will be at rest against stop 37, and the right hand at rest against stop 38. falls below the desired maximum of 50 degrees, the contraction of the bass wood 11 causes the upper ends of levers 16 to move toward each other thus raising the extension 23, rod 29 and shoulder 29 connected thereto, and rod 32. Pin 34 now being at the bottom of slot 33 will be moved upward by the upward movement of rod 32 thus elevating the left hand end of pan 35 until it assumes a horizontal position. As the upward movement continues, the movable weight 35 will run to the right hand end of pan 35 thus bringing the pan to the position shown in Fig. 1. \Vhen the pan 4 was moved to open the circuit its left hand end was brought to such position as to lie in the path of upward movement of shoulder 29 on red 29 so that when said shoulder, on its upward movement, engages said pan the latter will be moved gradually, to a horizontal position and as the upward movement of shoulder 29' continues, the movable weight T will run to the right hand end to rock the pan to the closed position of the switch as shown in Fig. 1.

The frame 6 which carries the pans l and 35 is supported between track bars 39 and 40 secured to the casing 1, and has connected to it a rod 41 connected to a pivoted lever d2. The latter is adapted to be operated by push rods a3 and 14 so that the pans 1 and may be moved to operative and inoperative position. hen rod 23 is pushed inward, as shown in Fig. 2, the frame 6 will be moved forward so that the pin 31 on pan 35 will engage the slot 33 of grooved rod 32 and shoulder 29 on rod 29 will engage pan &. \Vhen rod 11- is pushed ini' ard the frame G, will be moved to the right thus disengaging pin 34: from slot and allowing said pin 34 to travel freely up and down the slot 33 in red 32, and also moving pan 1 out of the path of the shoulder 29 on red 29 so that the up and down movement of rod 29 will be unaffected so far as movements of the switch pan 4 is concerned. The con troller may therefore be left active or inactive as desired.

To Set the controller to operate between a desired humidity of from 60 degrees to '70 degrees on scale 25, instead of from 10 degrees to 50 degrees as indicated on the drawings, the following adjustments should be made. The pan l is thrown over to close the circuit through terminals 2 thus setting the motor in operation and increasing the atmospheric humidity, and scale rod 29 moved, by loosening set screw 23, to show the 60 degree mark opposite the to) edge of extension 23. In order to raise the rod 29 it is necessary to lift shoulder 29 so as to pass by the pan 4. The adjustment of rod 29 also raises rod 32 and as the wider portion of the slot 33 allows only for a 10 degree lift, the rod 32 is tilted to the left on its pivoted clamp 30 so that pin 34 will rest in the lower part of the long slot 33. The expansion of the bass wood effects an outward movement of the system of lazy tongs and a downward movement of rods 29 and 32. In this downward movement, the hinged shoulder 29 falls to its normal horizontal position and the pin 34 travels along the left hand wall of slot 33 until opposite the wider section 33 when it enters the latter by the tilting of the rod to the right. The continued downward or upward movements oI rods 29 and 32 will effect the movement of pans 35 and 4 as before described.

If the controller is set to operate between 60 degrees and 70 degrees of humidity and it is desired to have it o )erate between 40 de grees and 50 degrees, t e parts are adjusted as follows: Pan 4 is set at rest against stop 38 so as to open the circuit at the terminals 2. In lowering rod 29, in order to show the 40 degree mark opposite the top edge of the extension 23, the pin 34 on pan 35 will be in the upper right hand part of slot 33. In the upward movement of rods 29 and 32 the pin 34 finally passes into the wider section 33' by the rod 32 tilting to the right, and the controller will then operate as first described.

In F ig. 3 I have shown a modified form of controller in which the clamp 30 is dispensed with and the rod 32 pivoted directly to the scale rod 29 and the section 33' of the slot 33, in rod 32, shortened. I also attach to the right hand of pan 4 a curved rack 45 which engages a pinion 46 carrying an arm 47 to which is secured the insulated bridge contact 8. An arm 48 is attached to pan 35 to tilt the pan 4 on the downward movement of rod 32. With these changes the controller is adapted to operate within a range as low as 1 degree of difference in the atmospheric humidity.

\Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. The herein-described apparatus comprising a switch to close an electric circuit, a hygrometric member, a system of levers actuated through the elongation and con traction of said member, an extension connected to said levers, a slotted rod, a movable pivoted connection between said extension and rod, and a member carrying a movable weight and having a pin which pin is adapted to travel in the slot of said rod and to be actuated thereby to effect the movements of said weighted member to close the circuit.

2. The herein-described apparatus com prising a switch to close an electric circuit, a hygrometric member, and means actuated by the elongation and contraction of said member to operate said switch, said means including two members each carrying a movable weight, a slotted rod adapted to receive a pin projecting from one of said weighted members, and connections between said hygromet ber and said rod to effect the tilti sa f weighted members to open and close the stch.

3. The herein-daqqribed apparatus comprising a hygrometric menrber, a switch adapted to close an electric circuit, said switch comprising a pivoted weighted member, means actuated by the contraction of said hygrometric member to operate said switch in one direction, and means for operating said switch in the opposite direc tion comprising a second weighted member also adapted to be moved by the expansion and contraction of the hygrometric member.

4. The herein-described apparatus comprising a hygrometric member, a switch adapted to close an electric circuit, said switch consisting of a pivoted weighted member, means connected to and actuated by said hygrometric member to operate said switch in one direction, a second pivoted weighted member, and a positive connection between the means actuated by the hygrometric member and said second weighted member to operate it in a direction to open the switch.

5. In combination, a hygrometric memher, an electric switch, two pivoted members each provided with a movable weight, the first pivoted member being constructed and arranged to move the second pivoted 'member ina direction to open the circuit,

means actuated in response to changes in said hygrometric member in one direction for moving said second pivoted member in a direction to close the circuit, and means actuated by changes in said hygrometric member in the other direction for moving said first pivoted member and thereby moving said second pivoted member in the opposite direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN LYNN. 

